Late bloomers

[batsfan]

I claimed this guy off waivers on Opening Day almost as an afterthought. He had good ratings, but the stats of a classic AAAA player, and at 27 I did not actually expect him to contribute at the MLB level. But he tore up AAA, and due to injuries and trades, I gave him what I thought would be a brief call up, but he played so well, I have decided to keep him in the lineup. Only 29 games, but he appears to have finally figured it out!



Anyone else have an example of a late bloomer or a surprising call-up?

[SirMichaelJordan]

The beauty of TCR.

[r0nster]

it seems players get good between ages 27 and 35 by the time they hit 37 get rid of them if possible .... unless you decide to change the aging factor to slow the aging down a bit

[r0nster]

I have had a few surprises when calling up a player due to injuries but when I traded the player away after 3 seasons of fulltime play he bearly had any major league play afterwards. Had one star trade value

[SirMichaelJordan]

Originally Posted by r0nster

it seems players get good between ages 27 and 35 by the time they hit 37 get rid of them if possible .... unless you decide to change the aging factor to slow the aging down a bit

I had a 38 year old play great up until 40 with the default aging. He's a rare one just like in real life, so occasionally you'll get that old vet who still has it.

[r0nster]

cool that's great news for I am in 2020 micromanaging games and I still have Caberra who seems to be tailing off with 3 more years left on contract with 2 of them be team options.

Thanks for the good news

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

The all-time late bloomer for me is Oliver Parkinson. Pitched in the minors from 1968-1985, with over 200 wins. I decided to give him a shot at the bigs with my 1986 expansion Indianapolis Arrows. He made the rotation, and hasn't looked back. No editing on my part, either. I figure he's gotta slow down sometime, but not so far at age 40. A Nolan Ryan-esque freak of nature? Maybe being on a really good team keeps guys young?



I've tried the same thing with other long-time minor leaguers, but none of them have lasted more than a season or two as reserves.

[r0nster]

out of curiousity do you think coaching staff ratings as well as doctor ratings help at all with longevity ??? or have you found something yet that might help give a clue as to how long they might either stay good or keep playing ??

[Lukas Berger]

Originally Posted by ThatSeventiesGuy

The all-time late bloomer for me is Oliver Parkinson.

That's utterly astonishing. Never seen anything like it.

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

Yep, and I never edited him, hard as that may be to believe. I did edit some of my other stars recently, like David Griffin and Tommy John, to stave off the aging process a little, but Ollie is working without the benefit of PEEs (Performance-Enhancing Edits).

It probably helps his W-L record that his team is really good (No fewer than 130 wins the first three seasons!) but the ERA, WHIP, and Ks are all on him. Having a Gold Glove catcher might have helped him a little, but still...yep, the OOTP fictional answer to Nolan Ryan. His stamina does seem to be wearing down a bit, though. Note how he only threw 75 pitches in his last start, and has pitched only 19.1 innings in four starts. I'm thinking '89 might be his swan song, but I've been wrong about the guy before.

It's not quite unprecedented for late-30s-early 40s guys to still perform at a high rate. Bert Blyleven still manages to win 15-ish games every year in his late 30s, even on bad Cleveland and Minnesota teams.

[Hockey13Playa]

Sorry to somewhat hi-jack your thread... but is there a way to get notifications when players hit waivers? I usually always forget to check the waiver wire so if I could get a notification one someone is on it that would be beneficial for me!

[tejdog1]

Originally Posted by batsfan

I claimed this guy off waivers on Opening Day almost as an afterthought. He had good ratings, but the stats of a classic AAAA player, and at 27 I did not actually expect him to contribute at the MLB level. But he tore up AAA, and due to injuries and trades, I gave him what I thought would be a brief call up, but he played so well, I have decided to keep him in the lineup. Only 29 games, but he appears to have finally figured it out!



Anyone else have an example of a late bloomer or a surprising call-up?

That BB/K is scary

[slugga27]

Originally Posted by Hockey13Playa

Sorry to somewhat hi-jack your thread... but is there a way to get notifications when players hit waivers? I usually always forget to check the waiver wire so if I could get a notification one someone is on it that would be beneficial for me!

Not that I know of. If there was, you would probably get an e-mail every day about the waiver wire...

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Hockey13Playa

Sorry to somewhat hi-jack your thread... but is there a way to get notifications when players hit waivers? I usually always forget to check the waiver wire so if I could get a notification one someone is on it that would be beneficial for me!

[Jetzons]

Originally Posted by ThatSeventiesGuy

Yep, and I never edited him, hard as that may be to believe. I did edit some of my other stars recently, like David Griffin and Tommy John, to stave off the aging process a little, but Ollie is working without the benefit of PEEs (Performance-Enhancing Edits).

It probably helps his W-L record that his team is really good (No fewer than 130 wins the first three seasons!) but the ERA, WHIP, and Ks are all on him. Having a Gold Glove catcher might have helped him a little, but still...yep, the OOTP fictional answer to Nolan Ryan. His stamina does seem to be wearing down a bit, though. Note how he only threw 75 pitches in his last start, and has pitched only 19.1 innings in four starts. I'm thinking '89 might be his swan song, but I've been wrong about the guy before.

It's not quite unprecedented for late-30s-early 40s guys to still perform at a high rate. Bert Blyleven still manages to win 15-ish games every year in his late 30s, even on bad Cleveland and Minnesota teams.

Loss my coffee this morning.... The PEEs comment is off the hook.

[Nunyer]

Originally Posted by r0nster

out of curiousity do you think coaching staff ratings as well as doctor ratings help at all with longevity ??? or have you found something yet that might help give a clue as to how long they might either stay good or keep playing ??

Based on my anecdotal, gut-feeling experiences... It's primarily guys with "Iron Man" durability ratings that stay productive into their late 30s / early 40s. They also tend to age a bit more gracefully, slowly declining over 2-3 years instead of just falling off a cliff at age 36 or whatever. Coaching staff might play a role, but I always found the coaching system a bit pointless, so I almost always have it turned off.

As far as 'late bloomers'... I find that most of the guys that I think have bloomed late are actually just having a good season and then they return to their AAAA ways soon enough.

But I am also amazed by Mr. Parkinson up there... I don't recall ever seeing a starter north of 35 years old put up that kind of three season stretch.

[Fyrestorm3]

Originally Posted by Nunyer

As far as 'late bloomers'... I find that most of the guys that I think have bloomed late are actually just having a good season and then they return to their AAAA ways soon enough.

This is how I feel as well. I had a 31-year-old Brian Matusz become the ace of my staff for half a year, and then over the course of the second half of the season and into the next year, gradually went back to being a #5 starter.

The case of Oliver Parkinson there is very surprising, and that's what I'd call a true late bloomer. But for the OP's Luka Puzitsky, I'd have to see more than a single season of good numbers.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by Jetzons

Loss my coffee this morning.... The PEEs comment isop off the hook.

I missed that the first time. Very funny and apropos. Somebody (OP?) should start a PEE thread.

[VanillaGorilla]

Originally Posted by rchw

i missed that the first time. Very funny and apropos. Somebody (op?) should start a pee thread.

Down with OP-PEE...?

[darkcloud4579]

Originally Posted by ThatSeventiesGuy

Yep, and I never edited him, hard as that may be to believe. I did edit some of my other stars recently, like David Griffin and Tommy John, to stave off the aging process a little, but Ollie is working without the benefit of PEEs (Performance-Enhancing Edits).

It probably helps his W-L record that his team is really good (No fewer than 130 wins the first three seasons!) but the ERA, WHIP, and Ks are all on him. Having a Gold Glove catcher might have helped him a little, but still...yep, the OOTP fictional answer to Nolan Ryan. His stamina does seem to be wearing down a bit, though. Note how he only threw 75 pitches in his last start, and has pitched only 19.1 innings in four starts. I'm thinking '89 might be his swan song, but I've been wrong about the guy before.

It's not quite unprecedented for late-30s-early 40s guys to still perform at a high rate. Bert Blyleven still manages to win 15-ish games every year in his late 30s, even on bad Cleveland and Minnesota teams.

PEEs ftw.